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Topic: Modern Chinese. Where, who....? (Read 783 times)

I've just been browsing through Peter von Brackel's book on Bohemian weights and thinking what a marvelous job he's done with so little readily-available information.

This set me to thinking about modern Chinese weights, which appear to be improving in quality and design all the time. Do we know where they come from and who makes them? Are there many factories? One huge one? Small workshops? Any individual makers that stand out? Whereabouts in China are they made?

I've just realised I don't know the answer to any of the above, and wondered if anybody else did? I can just see, in a few years time, a scramble to try and find all that out when, as with the Bohemian weights, many of the records will have been lost.

Soooooo, any sources of info on modern Chinese (maybe I've just missed the eight-volume reference set...)?

There are various wholesale outlets in China that each probably deal with many different makers. Then there are the importers in many countries who deal with the various wholesalers. As far I know, none of the individual makers or manufacturing companies are ever credited in the way we would prefer for identification.

But there are one or two collectors who are beginning to look more closely at Chinese weights. Whether they can get beyond merely comparing types and designs is yet to be seen.

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KevinH

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If you go through some of the websites that link to the Chinese trade suppliers of glass paperweights (I have posted links to some of these on several occasions eg www.alibaba.com ) you will find several names that crop up regularly, but it is never clear whether these are the actual manufacturers or intermediates. Most appear to be in the (large) regions surrounding Shanghai or Hong Kong.

A good phrase to search on Alibaba and others is 'Murano glass paperweights'. You will find examples of Chinese made paperweights described as 'Murano', and commonly offered on eBay - sometimes as 'genuine' Murano paperweights, most frequently on eBay.com in the USA.

Alan

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Alan"There are two rules for ultimate success in life. Number 1: Never tell everything you know."

The comments in this posting reflect the opinion of the author, Alan Thornton, and not that of the owners, administrators or moderators of this board. Comments are copyright Alan Thornton.http://www.pwts.co.uk